Finch in the Trees
by mimieonichan
Summary: Foxface has a story too! She tells you about her district and how she is connected with her district partner. Why did she eat the nightlock? all answers revealed in Finch in the Trees. side note: The crew gave her the name Finch
1. The First Day

**Hey everyone! Julia here! This is my first fan fiction for the Hunger Games and I'm super excited. So finch it the girl that Katniss called Fox-Face**. **Her ditrict partner is someone very close to her and she doesn't know how to react with this entire situation. we learn wo she considers a threat and a little about her past.**

**I do not own the Hunger Games, anything affiliated with the Hunger Games, or anything that might even slightly resemble anything from the Hunger Games**

**Lets move on shall we!**

5...4...3...2...1...*BOOM* I rush away from the cornucopia as fast as my legs can carry me. Everything is a blur and I try not to let myself be seen. Once I hit the trees, I don't stop running for what seems like a thousand miles. When my legs can carry me no longer, I think, 'I just passed up the chance to get some food. Stupid Finch! Stupid!' That is me by the way. I'm Finch Byrd of District 5 in the 74th Annual Hunger Games. A ruthless tirade where each district from the country of Panem gets one boy and girl between 12 and 18 taken to the capital to fight to the death. You win, you live with riches beyond your wildest dreams. You lose, you die in the arena and are never seen again. And there is a catch. The boy and girl from the same District cannot work together unless you form an alliance. And even if you do form one, it will be broken if it's just you and your district partner.

I hear noises coming from my left so I turn to my right and hightail it out of there. As I run, I think about Joseph. My district partner who is just a boy. He is also, unfortunately, my younger brother. Can you imagine having to let your brother die in these games to allow your own survival. Now I can see why that girl from 12 took her sister's place. I'll have to watch out for her. I've seen what she can do in the training room. But she has seen what I can do too. I know plants. I know what can kill and what can heal, what is edible and what is an imitation. I'm also fast, smart and sly. So much so that the people from my district call me Foxy. Of course it does hurt your chances of not being noticed if you have hair as bright as a flame on the top of your head. My family must be so worried about Joseph. I'm worried too but I'm also worried for me. I just hope that he is okay. I guess I'll find out tonight when they show the faces of the dead in the sky tonight. 'I should find someplace to rest for a while' I think to myself. So I head to where I hear water and pick some leaves and berries as I go. Some blueberries, an oak leaf, some wild mint, a find within itself, some wild barley and wild grapes. This little array of berries and leaves could save me today. I find the water and wash off my findings as well as my face. It wakes me up a little and keeps me going. I head downstream and find a little place made of rocks and decide that will become my house or "den" as some would say.

A little chilly in here but I will soon warm up. I go outside and get a nice big leaf and place my food inside, then I set it in a corner of my den. The I venture outside once more and look along the beds of the stream. What luck! I stumble upon a Sagittaria plant, also known as a Katniss flower, and dig into the muddy bank. I pull up the roots and find that the tubers are as good looking as I can remember. Of course, everything looks good when you're hungry. I build a small fire and cook my little delicacies into a fine tuber and berry dinner. I eat just enough to satisfy me and save the rest for breakfast in the morning. I splash some water onto the fire and it sizzles out in seconds. I head back to my den and rest for a while. As I rest, I think about the other memorable tributes. The boy and girl from 1, Marvel and Glimmer, are strong but they were taught to be that way. Marvel throws spears and Glimmer can shoot an Arrow but not very well. They could survive this. Kato and Clove from 2 are frightening. Kato is extremely strong and well equipped when handling a sword. Clove can throw knives like a pro and she is fast too. Stronger than I am. They will most likely win these games. There's Joseph, my little brother, who is like me. Quick, witty, can get out of a jam and is very smart. But he can be stupid sometimes too. I saw him head straight for the cornucopia and didn't look to the trees. I just pray that he made it out okay. Rue and Thresh from 11 are smart. Thresh is strong and brutish and can kill in a moment. But Rue, i'd like to think, is as innocent as a butterfly. She can climb like a monkey and is very capable of taking care of herself. But I will be sad if she does die. Then there is the boy and girl from 12. The boy is stronger than even Kato I believe and the girl, Katniss I think, is good with arrows. Katniss. How coincidental that I ate the thing that she was named for.

The Anthem blares high in the sky and I rouse myself from my makeshift bed. I peek through the opening of my den and watch the faces that I never knew. Then I see one face that I wish wasn't there. Joseph, my little brother, flashes across the sky. I stop looking and lay down. I stare into the emptiness that is my den and feel the prickle of tears in my eyes. I let them come.


	2. Not Without My Brother

When Light crosses my tearstained face the next morning, All I can think about is Joseph. How did he die? Was it Kato? Or Clove? Maybe it was Glimmer. all I know is that it was either a career or Thresh. Anyone else is to innocent or to scared to kill. I want to find him but I know that the hover craft has probably taken him away already. I only pray that what they tell us is right. They say that the tributes that are killed are sent back to their district in a coffin. However, I haven't ever been to a funeral for a tribute. I want to see him. One last time. But I know that it is impossible. I know deep in my heart that if he can't survive these games, I have only a slightly larger advantage than he did. I decide that I need to get some more food. After my small breakfast of the roots and berries I had gathered the previous day, I set out to find some food.

I manage to find some more berries and roots as well as some nuts. I place them in a hidden pouch from my district and look for some small game that I can trap. I manage to find two rabbits and a nice, fat, squirrel. I can remember the first time I had ever tasted squirrel.

My father didn't like me going into the woods when he wasn't with me but I was much better at trapping than he was so even if I brought home dinner without him, he rarely complained. I trapped a smaller squirrel and strung it over my back. When I got home, my mother didn't know exactly how to skin a rodent from a forest so I had to wait for my father. He showed me how to skin animals and what to do with the skin afterwards. Lets just say that I have a pair of squirrel boots at home. When I bit down into the leg, I at first thought it was horrid. but after a few more nibbles, I found that it tasted a bit like the chicken I had tasted when I was younger and my family had a bit more money.

District 5 isn't a poor place like 11 and 12, but it's not a picnic either. We have to supply all the energy and power for the entire country of Panem and with only a few people working at a time these days, usually the capital and the first seven districts have power. But when the games come around, the capital send us some Avoxes, criminals of Panem, to give us some extra power.

I hear some voices coming from the river nearby and I scurry up a tree. It's the tributes of 1, 2, 4 and Peeta of 12 who come towards me now. This always happens during the first stages of the games. The Career tributes always gang up with each other and kill everyone who is a threat to them. Sometimes they grab a few people from other districts for protection. Strength in numbers and all that. But never have I ever seen the careers pick district 12 to join the mix. Then it dawns on me that they are probably using him to find Katniss and when they kill her, he will follow close behind. I feel badly for the people who have died so early in the games and I pity the ones who will be hunted down like animals. They will be slaughtered. Just like Joseph was.

When they pass on to another part of the forest, I slowly climb down from the tree and run back to my den to skin and cook my catches of the day. I find a few branches, as well as a sharp rock from the stream and make a small fire, making sure that it doesn't give off too much smoke. I wait for my catches to kook while I go to the stream and find a long stick to make into a spear. I then use the spear to skewer a few fish about a s long as my arm. I take them back to my den and cook them as well.

As I cook, I think of my options in these games. I could stay hidden most of the time and only come out for food every once in a while, but this is the only place I know is safe. And If I go and look for someplace else safe, I run the risk of being caught and killed. But there is another option. I'm not very gifted with weapons, but I can kill as efficiently as anyone. I'm quick and a skilled climber and could create a sneak attack near the cornucopia, where I know the base camp for the careers is going to be. there is another option up my sleeve though. I saw some poisonous berries called nightlock a few miles from my den. if things get bad enough, I could always resort to that as a final option. I know now that without any real weapons in my arsenal, I'm as doomed as a duck during open season. I make my choice and decide to move on. But not before turning the skins of my kills into a makeshift bag. I tie it onto a belt loop and head for the trees.


	3. Thinking and Thieving

I've been wandering around here for what seems like hours, trying to find the lake and the Cornucopia. I can't help but feel like the Gamemakers, especially Seneca Crane, are making me lose my way on purpose. They want a good show right? I'm sure one of them had the idea to make me wander around in circles for an hour or two. Seneca would just love to make us all look like fools wouldn't he? Well not me. I won't have it. So even though my strategy is to remain quiet and calculated, I shout out and say "If you want a show, why not let me take on the careers instead of making me look like a fool you overdressed clowns!" That got there attention real quick. The next thing I know, a swarm of birds that I had never even seen before swarm my body and attack me! I beat them off of me as best as I could, but that doesn't stop them from giving me a bloody wound or two. The go for my eyes, my throat and my mouth. They try to get into as many places as they can before I bat them away with my hands. I finally manage to get out of the swarm and rest for a moment only to find that I can hear voices from what seems like not to far off. I look to my right and find a shining light coming through the trees. Only one thing could give off that sort of light in these parts.

As I come closer to the cornucopia, I can see that the careers are hard at work. Er, rather, the tributes that the have corralled for slaughter are hard at work. It seems to be that all the supplies are being put together into a tall structure. A hill of food and supplies. But I can also see something else there among the structure. I see freshly turned up dirt. I don't know what that's for until I see the boy from 3 digging up the mines from around the launch pads. Then I realize that they mean to set up a trap for the other tributes. if anyone steps on those mines, they will be blown sky high along with all the food. Then I remember that the mines were supposed to be deactivated after one minute's wait on the pads at the very beginning of the games. However, I get a closer look and see that the boy is fiddling with the devices and, by a guess, are reactivating them. _So that's their ploy _I think to myself. _I bet I could get that food if I know the places the mines are._ So I sat down and waited. Something that I'm very good at. When the boy has laid out all the mines, I wait some more for them to leave. When they do, I pick myself up and listen. I try and hear all the sounds around me. The crunching of leaves, the rustling of the brush, and everything my sensitive ears can pick up. When I deem it safe, I run out and look around me feet. I can see where he placed the mines with fair accuracy and I can see where he wanted to trick others and make them think that mines weren't really there. But I know better. I slowly pick out my path through the dug up places and find that I can reach a sack of apples and a block of cheese. I grab as much as I can and pick my way once more through the mine field.

I don't stop running until I get back to my den. I have to sit for at least thirty minutes to catch my breath. I guess I doze off because when I come to, it's nearly dusk. I count the stolen apples and find that the cheese is cheddar. my favorite. I take a small bite of an apple and the cheese and a symphony of flavor overcomes my taste buds. Sure the fish and the wild game are nice, but there really isn't anything better than apples and cheese in my opinion. That was Joseph's favorite snack too.

Every once in a blue moon, we would have enough money to buy some cheese at the marketplace. There were apple trees all around the place and they were public property so we could take as much as we wanted. So we would have cheese and apples every day after school for about two weeks. During that time, Joseph and I couldn't be happier. We were "living it up Capitol style" we used to say. We knew that the Capitol had much better food than the districts could ever hope for. but for kids with almost nothing, we could dream right? I mean, life isn't easy for the people in the districts. Sure the Capitol and districts 1,2 and 4 have it good, but what about the rest of us? We need food too! Most of the districts out here are starving to death, especially in 11 and 12. I think back on what they looked like at the reapings. How skinny they all looked. And not in a good way. Katniss and Peeta weren't as thin because Peeta is a baker's child and I don't know what with Katniss. But Rue and Thresh looked like bone-racks! It didn't help with Rue being so young and tiny. She looked so small and helpless. I can only hope that I don't see her in the sky tonight.

As the Anthem plays, I can't help but feel anger towards the Capitol. The Games are cruel and pointless. The slaughter of children is not fun as the people who dictate this country might think. If only they knew what we have to go through will all this death and pain. I see the pain of the dead in my mind as they flash across the sky. I see that the Girls from 1 and 10 were killed today. It tells how they died under their names and I see that both of them had succumbed to the madness that is Tracker Jacker Poison. Severe hallucinations and, in bad cases, death can be eminent. I guess thats what happened with them. It shocks me to see that Katniss it the one who dropped the nest on the pack. I am also thoroughly impressed

When I saw Joseph in the sky the other night, I didn't even look to see how he and all the others died. Or more importantly, who killed them. Although, judging by who is still alive, I can almost tell for certain that it was a Career who did the nasty deed of killing my brother. I long for revenge, but against who? surely not Katniss or Peeta. They are beyond killing anyone as far as I know. Although, Peeta is strong and could have broken Joseph's neck. But Katniss could have done him in with an arrow. No, it wasn't Katniss. I saw that she didn't go for the arrows in the cornucopia. She grabbed a bag and ran away. The only thing hat she did, she most likely did in self defense. And Rue is to innocent to kill anything but a fly so it couldn't be her either. So it is between, Peeta, Thresh, Glimmer, Clove, Cato, or Marvel. Glimmer is dead anyway so to little to late, Peeta wouldn't have killed unless he was in danger, but Thresh, Marvel, Clove and Cato, they might as well be mercenaries for the way that they kill so carelessly. I decide that it is only best to wait them out until i can get my hands on a better weapon than a sharp rock. I also decide that for now, I mush rest until morning comes. And I dream of things that could only be seen in nightmares, but they have already happened over the course of a few days.


	4. Discoveries and Dreams

When I wake up the a few days later, all I can think about is the nightmares I had the night before. I saw Joseph being murdered by Cato. I stood there for what felt like seconds but by the dream it was a whole day. The hovercraft never came to pick him up and by nightfall in the dream, all was quiet. The he began to writhe and shake and then he was turned into some creature of the dark with wings as large as an eagle's and as deformed as a bat's. I dark creature with only skin and bones to make up it's enormous figure. It chased me all around the arena and cornered me in a cave. It lunged for me, and I woke up. I find myself panting heavily and shaking all over. If that is what the people in the labs of the Capitol do to the dead in these games, please do not let me see them.

When the dream trauma is over and done, I go to the stream and wash myself off. Then I sit and just breath for a bit. I contemplate strategy and things I could do to get myself ahead in these games. I could form an alliance with Katniss, but I would either end up with an arrow in my head, or she would end up with a knife in her back. But I would first have to obtain a knife. I decide that is what I will do next. So I head to the Career camp and see if there is a usable weapon there. But I'm surprised to find that all the food and supplies are blown up! I walk out into the used-to-be mine field and collapse to my knees. And for the sheer irony and sweetness of it all, I begin to laugh. Not just a simple chuckle mind you, but a serious, ecstasy filled, joyful laugh. I see now that with this turn of events, there is no hope for me now. I can't help but wonder what face I will see in the sky tonight. What poor fool decided to waltz into the mine field and take food? I stop and laugh even harder because I remember that I was that same poor fool. But I was smarter than that. I also realize that the careers have no hope of surviving now either. Being pampered all your life can make it hard for someone to live like I have all of my life. Now the will know what it is like to be me.

I hear a voice or two coming from my left, so I spot a knife and some provisions and take them. Then I run will every fiber of my being telling me to get away. I listen to myself run and breath. I pay attention to the voices around me and how many there are. I hear the voices of the forest too. The sounds that the animals make as I pass them by. The sound of the sweet wind blowing by my ears as I run. The sounds of footsteps behind me. What? I pause for a moment and listen as hard as I can. Yes those are definitely footsteps but to whom do they belong? They are light so I feel like they are female. It could be Clove, Rue or Katniss behind me. Rue I could take but I wouldn't because of her age and I couldn't even attempt to take down. She is too strong and too fast to take alone. Katniss is the same deal where her accuracy is perfect and is too strong. I do the only sensible thing I can think of. I run.

I don't remember how I got back to my den, but when I do, I look over my provisions. I find my new weapon/survival device, a knife, is in fair condition since it survived the explosion that, I'm sure now, was the result of Katniss somehow. I also find some more cheese that is slightly charred but it will still taste fine. I also see some bread from my district among the charred items. I look closer and see the remains of a bread basket with breads form all over the country. I see the seaweed-filled buns from District 4, some bacon-and-cheese buns from District 10 The crescent moon rolls from District 11 and drop biscuits from District 12. The loaves from my home are a sweet roll with a reddish tint and is filled with blue, green and yellow sprinkles. The export form my home is power. As in Nuclear Power. Therefore, think of the bread as an atom. The Red roll is the nucleus of the atom made up of the yellow protons and the green neutrons and the blue represents the electrons surrounding the atom...It makes sense if you are from my district. I save those for later and devour the crescents in seconds. I save one in case I get hungry later. I nibble on a drop biscuit and a bacon-and-cheese roll to satisfy myself and wait for the anthem to play.

I get excited when the Capitol seal shows itself in the sky. I know I shouldn't be happy but I can't help my small grin when I see that one of the Careers, Marvel of District 1, is gone from the games. However, that grin is wiped away as soon as I see the next face. Little and sweet, like the flower she is named for, is Rue. The tribute girl from 11. Innocence and purity to a tee with climbing skills like a squirrel. When I see that she was killed by Marvel, and Marvel by Katniss, I can't help but feel thanks towards her for killing Rue's killer. I also see the boy from 3 in the sky tonight. He was Killed by Cato. I think to myself on the newest death that there is some Karma mixed in there somewhere. The boy tried to kill others, and others killed him. When the anthem stops and the faces go away, a voice blares through the forest. The voice says that there has been a rule change. The rule where only one tribute could win, now two can as long as they are from the same District. Oh if only Joseph were still alive! We could have made it back home! I'm roused from my thoughts when I hear a shout in the dark. "PEETA!" I hear. It could only have been Katniss. I think nothing of it and I decide to turn in for the night. I say a silent prayer to Joseph, who I know is in Heaven, and I fall asleep to the songs of the crickets.


	5. The Final Turmoil

**Hey everyone! Sorry I haven't updated this story in a while. I had a ton of things going on over summer break. My cousins are staying with me for the summer and I've had to watch them the entire summer. My mom took them to the local pool and I opted to stay home to get some peace. So I thought, "Hey! Why not update my stories?" So here we are now. Anyway, on to the story!**

**Oh! I do not own the Hunger Games Trilogy, the characters, or any affiliated items.**

Chapter 5: The Final Turmoil

A few days later, the only tribute that has died was the girl from 2, Clove. She was killed by Thresh from 11. There was a "feast" if you can call it that. The remaining tributes were invited to the Cornucopia to get the thing that the tribute most needed. Normally it's a bloodbath like in the beginning, but this year only one tribute perished. And honestly, she deserved it. I was invited as I'm one of the remaining tributes and what I needed most was food.

I hid sheltered in the large hollow funnel, waiting for the perfect time to strike for what I wanted...no...needed. There was a large table at the entrance to the Cornucopia with four bags sitting upon it. Each bag had a district number monogramed onto it. I looked for my district's number and once I found it, I nearly shouted out in delight. The bag was a larger size and was bulging with what I was hoped was food. I looked around carefully through the clearing and saw nor heard any movement. However, I could feel eyes carefully trained on the Cornucopia and I could only guess that they belonged to Katniss, the hunter. I knew that she wouldn't strike me as she has no conflict towards me and she wouldn't kill in cold blood. So even though I knew I was risking my life, I raced to the table, grabbed the bag, and bolted to the safety of the trees. I didn't stop running until I reached the distant stream near my den.

When I caught my breath, I took my knife and tore open the bag, not even bothering with the drawstring. What I saw was my life and my fury all in one little bundle. There was food in the bag all right. But it wasn't anything more than the scraps of things you would find here in the woods. Berries, tubers, a cooked piece of poultry meat, and some utensils. I was happy to have food but I was outraged that there was so little from the take. The bag appeared to be bulging with food when I went for it! But just a small pile of basics should do me until dinner time. But what will I do after that? Will I continue to waste away in this foreboding place of death and anger? No. Either I win, or I die trying. So I get up and decide to move away from my den. Perhaps I will come across something that will be my salvation.

It has been a day or two since the feast now. I walk around for hours and watch the sun slowly fall beyond the tree line. As visibility lessens, I find I am tripping over more things than normal. Rocks keep getting thrown into my path and twigs seem to be snapping even louder than normal. All of a sudden, i feel my foot slip from under me and I land on my left hand. Hard. Then I hear a sickening crack of bone and unbearable pain scorches up my arm in licks of fire. I try not to scream but a small whimper of pain escapes my lips. I have broken bones before though so this pain isn't new to me. I know what to do in dire situations like mine. Splint the wound with twigs and pretend you are fine. I go under the nearest tree with my left arm staying completely still. Thankfully I thought to save the torn bag from the feast and use that as binding for the splint. I hold the bag between my teeth and keep it steady with my feet. I use my good arm to cut the bag into a long and thin strip of cloth. I drape the cloth over my shoulders and search for twigs as long as my arm or longer. I break the twigs I find to the right size and ease my injured arm into a straight form and rest it on the ground. The splint is formed quickly and I rest against the tree I'm under for the night.

* * *

I didn't get much sleep. But I did dream. My brother was alive and we had won the Games. My arm was healed and things were back to normal. My family and I lived in a lavish house that was always filled with food and energy. We always had the windows open and things were peaceful and great. But the dream faded into a nightmare. I saw myself go from happy with bright eyes to crying with dead ones. A vision flashes before me of the headstones of my family in order of death. My Grandparents, Mammaw and Papaw, who died of age,my Father who died of electric shock at the power plant, and my little sister Elaina who had died of a fever when she was little were the first to be seen. My brother Joseph was next and my Mother was there too. Had she died of despair from my brother? And last was my stone. I moved closer to my stone and saw that it said "death by Nightlock Berries in the Hunger Games".

I awoke with tears rolling down my face from the dream. I shudder at the thought of me seeing my own headstone. Is that really how I will die? I won't know until I do I guess. I look over at my arm and see that there is some swelling around the break but It will ebb away, as will the pain. I pick myself up off the ground and move away from the tree I had been leaning against. I don't remember why I decided to leave the comfort of my den but I suppose my instincts were correct as they almost always are. So from there I walked up stream towards the Cornucopia and I hear something. Voices coming from the right! I duck down and listen carefully. I hear a male and a female whispering loudly not to far away from me. One of them is very heavy on their feet and I believe the female is trying to make him be quiet. I can only think of one pair of tributes left so It must be Peeta and Katniss from 12. So what do I do now? 'Come on Finch, think!' I say to myself, 'maybe you can sneak some food off of them or something. Maybe they have some apples and cheese! Or some sort of weapon besides a bow.' I continue thinking and while I do I hear one set of footsteps getting closer to me. I whip around a nearby tree and see Katniss walk where I had been standing not a moment earlier. I wait until she passes me and I search for Peeta. I listen and I hear far off footsteps. 'Darn. He's to far away. I can't get close to him without making a visual of myself. What do I-' *thunk*. My foot has hit something on the ground and instinctively I jump back a bit. I look down and what luck! I have found their pack! Along with a pile of berries near the pack, I see a bit of cheese peeking out of one of the pockets. I take some but not enough to be noticed. I look at the berries and I recognize them. Nightlock. I think back to my dream and hesitate on taking them. 'The poor fool is going to die if he eats these,' I think. I hear close footsteps that could only belong to Peeta and I decide to take a few berries just in case. I bolt away and hope that my thieving isn't noticed right away.

I'm about 100 yards away from the pack and Peeta. I have already eaten the cheese and I stare at the berries in my hand. 'Why did I take these? If I eat even one, I'll be dead in a minute. But I'm so tired of running around like an animal. I feel like no matter what I do I'll die. I'm injured, I'm weak and I'm alone. So I know I'm not winning these games unless Thresh or Kato decide to go on a mad killing spree. So what's the point anyway. I'm dead no matter what I do. These berries, these Nightlock are one of the most deadly things on the planet. They aren't painful as far as I know so my choice is to either know how I die with these berries or die unexpectedly with a sword in one side of me and out the other. Might as well take the painless option.' I gather the berries in my hand and place them close to my mouth with all intent on eating them. 'I guess...I guess there's no point in final words, but I'll say some anyway' "District 5!" I yell, "I bid you all...farewell. And Joseph...I'll be with you in a moment my brother." I shove the berries into my mouth and chew as fast as I can and swallow without a second thought. I pause for a moment and I can feel myself losing ground. I feel my heart stop and the last thing I hear before I hit the ground is the cannon that signals my death.

* * *

**Okay this was a big thing for me. It was really hard to write Finch killing herself! I mean come on how can you not be sad by that! I wrote the death for my favorite character and I'm tearing up as I wrote that! but at least Finch will get to see her brother again.**

**Please R&R for this. It means a lot to me. Thankies!**


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